The Supreme Court gets new judges; Harper inches towards trifecta of power

This morning, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced his picks to fill two vacancies on the Supreme Court of Canada. With these two, four of the nine Supreme Court justices will have been appointed by Harper. Before the next general election in 2015 (assuming Harper obeys his own fixed-election date law), Harper will get to appoint two more.

The two appointed today replace Justice Ian Binnie, who did not have to retire until April 14, 2014 but has said he will retire as soon as his replacement is ready to take over, and Justice Louise Charron, who retired at the end of August, significantly earlier than her mandatory retirement date. Both Binnie and Charron were appointed by Liberal prime ministers.

Justice Louis LeBel must retire by Nov. 30, 2014. Justice Morris Fish must retire by Nov 16, 2013. Lebel and Fish were both appointed by Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

When Harper names Justice Fish's replacement, Harper will then have appointed the majority of justices and by the end of 2014 will have have appointed two-thirds of the justices on the Supreme Court.

This gives Harper a rare trifecta — particulary rare for conservsative-minded prime ministers — in that he will have appointed a majority of Supreme Court justices, his party has the majority in the Senate, and his party has a majority in the House of Commons.

Again, assuming that the next general election is in October, 2015, the next prime minister will get to appoint a Supreme Court justice almost immediately after that election if Justice Marshall Rothstein works right to his mandatory retirement date of Dec. 25, 2015. Rothstein was Harper's first appointee to the court.

Here's the deets released by the PMO on the two new appointees:

Andromache

The Commissioner for Federal Official Affairs has set up a page with more on Justice Andromache Karakatsanis and her decisions. (Wondering how to pronounce her name? Colleague (and Greek Canadian himself) Daniel Proussalidis helps with that). Here is here PMO-supplied bio:

Justice Andromache Karakatsanis was appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in March 2010 and a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in December 2002, presiding in all areas of the work of the court. She served as Administrative Judge for the Small Claims Court in Toronto. 
Prior to her appointment as a judge, Justice Karakatsanis served as Ontario’s Secretary of the Cabinet and Clerk of the Executive Council (2000-2002). As the senior public servant, she provided leadership to the Deputy Ministers and the Ontario Public Service. During her career in public service, she also served as Deputy Attorney General (1997-2000) and as Secretary of the Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat (1995-1997).
Following her call to the Bar in 1982, Justice Karakatsanis was appointed law clerk to the Chief Justice of Ontario, clerking for the Ontario Court of Appeal. In private practice, she practiced criminal, civil and family litigation in Toronto. From 1988 to 1995, she was Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario.
Justice Karakatsanis has also been actively involved in the administrative justice education and reform issues. She was the recipient of the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR) Medal (1996) for outstanding service to the administrative justice system of Ontario.

Moldaver

Here is the PMO's bio on Mr. Justice Michael J. Moldaver: “Graduate of the University of Toronto, 1971, Gold Medallist. Called to the Bar of Ontario in 1973. Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1985. Appointed to the Supreme Court of Ontario in April 1990 and then to the Ontario Court of Appeal December 1995. Lectured at the University of Toronto Law School from 1978 to 1995. Former co-chair of the Canadian Bar Association – Ontario Advocacy Symposium Committee; Director Advocates’ Society; Member of the Board of Governors – Advocate Society Institute; Council Member – University of Toronto Alumni Association; Co-chair, University of Toronto Academic Tribunal – Discipline Subsection.”

The commissioner of judicial affairs also has a page with more information on Moldaver and his decisions.

 

 

One thought on “The Supreme Court gets new judges; Harper inches towards trifecta of power”

  1. Trifecta? Senate, House, and the SCC? Heck, I thought The Trifecta was supposed to be Senate, House and the Mayor of Toronto? Or was it to be the first two plus Tim Hudak i/c of Toronto…erm.. Ontario? Or was it Senate, House and Danielle Wildrose someone was suggesting?
    Could we have a five-sided trifecta? You know, sorta like five or six on a tribunal? Tricorns for official headress?
    Dave, please sort this business out before we face an Order-in-Council banning the word “trifecta.”
    (And yes, I agree to leave sextets and octopi out of this.)
    Bill

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